MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State continues a challenging early-season slate this week at the Charleston Classic in South Carolina.
The Cardinals (1-1), coming off an 84-75 loss to No. 24 Purdue, have a chance at three quality games against a field that features five NCAA Tournament teams from last season. Ball State opens with No. 16 Virginia Tech on Thursday and then will play Alabama or Northeastern on Friday, followed by Wichita State, Davidson, Purdue or Appalachian State on Sunday.
It's important to not overreact to any one game, especially this early in the season, but here are three unexpected early-season trends that will be interesting to watch this week: